Ryan Reid

TALLAHASSEE -- For a few fleeting moments here Sunday afternoon, it seemed Florida State might finally find itself on fate's good side. Before hosting No. 4 North Carolina at the Donald L. Tucker Center, the Seminoles had lost three Atlantic Coast Conference games in the final moments. They had been victims of buzzer-beaters and bad bounces, late-game runs and late-game collapses. And then, down three with seconds to play, FSU sophomore forward Ryan Reid, who had last made a 3-pointer in high school, tied his team with the Tar Heels at 67. The long shot came from the right baseline, and FSU stopped Carolina at the buzzer to force overtime.

Three keys to success 1 . Go-to player emerges Offensive balance is nice – and the Seminoles had it a season ago – but Florida State lacked a true go-to player. It figures to be junior Chris Singleton, who averaged 10.2 points a game a season ago, but it could also be sophomore guard Michael Snaer. It needs to be somebody. 2. Significant offensive improvement Good – and sometimes spectacular – defense has become the norm under coach Leonard Hamilton.

*THE GOOD: The Seminoles won seven ACC games for the third consecutive season -- a streak unmatched in school history. They swept rival Miami, won five of seven games down the stretch and guards Toney Douglas, Jason Rich and Ralph Mims were at times fun and exciting to watch. *THE BAD : Once again, FSU missed the NCAA Tournament despite having an opportunity to earn a berth. The 'Noles lost games they were in a position to win at Clemson and at home against Duke, N.C. State and North Carolina.

Ryan Reid and some of his former teammates at Florida State gathered around a TV last month, tuned into the NBA Draft. Reid said earlier this week he figured he'd watch to find out where Solomon Alabi, the Seminoles' 7-foot-1 center, would be selected. Then, not long after Alabi went towards the end of the second round, a weird thing happened. Reid, a 6-foot-8 forward, heard his name announced and saw it appear on screen. The Indiana Pacers had drafted him with the 57th pick and then traded him to Oklahoma City.

TALLAHASSEE -- After pulling out an emotional victory at Georgia Tech just three days ago, Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton could hardly be blamed for feeling a little anxious heading into Tuesday night's game against lowly Tennessee-Martin. But after a nearly month-long stretch of close games and tight finishes -- including Sunday's overtime win in Atlanta -- the Seminoles quickly put their coach's worries at ease, rolling to a lopsided 95-68 victory in front of 5,231 fans at the Tucker Center.

TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida State basketball team is no stranger to close games in this young season. Coming into last night's game against No. 21 Florida, the Seminoles had already played and won three games decided by four points or less. That experience proved to be key for FSU, which overcame a late six-point deficit to escape with a 57-55 victory over the Gators in front of a crowd of 8,983 at the Tucker Center. Florida had the last shot with less than three seconds to play, but Dan Werner's three-point shot missed and FSU's Solomon Alabi grabbed the rebound.

On a Florida State team that features the defensive extravagance of Chris Singleton and the shot-blocking intimidation of Solomon Alabi , Ryan Reid qualifies as a grinding power forward who works in the shadows. Nicknamed the "Big Ticket," Reid has forged a career of distinction nonetheless. Friday night's first-round, NCAA tournament game against Gonzaga marked his fourth straight year in the postseason. Better yet, he becomes the first member of his family to graduate from college on May 1, reaching the milestone in four years with a degree in social sciences.

ATLANTA -- More than 20 NBA scouts were on hand Sunday night to watch Florida State's game at Georgia Tech -- there to see the likes of FSU's Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton and the Yellow Jackets' Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors. Ryan Reid, the Florida State senior who coach Leonard Hamilton described as the type who does the Seminoles' "dirty work," outshined them all, though. Reid finished with a career-high 17 points to lead the Seminoles to an improbable 66-59 overtime victory against 22nd-ranked Georgia Tech at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

TALLAHASSEE -- Leonard Hamilton likes to say his Florida State team is without a true go-to player --that depending on the opponent, the defensive match-up and other variables, there are many Seminoles capable of being the team's most valuable player in any given game. It has been true for most of the season. Yet after FSU's 68-66 victory here on Sunday against Georgia Tech, it appears the Seminoles are closer to discovering their most consistent offensive threat. Chris Singleton, the sophomore forward, scored a career-high 23 points to lead FSU (15-4, 3-2 ACC)

TALLAHASSEE — Leonard Hamilton likes to say his Florida State team is without a true go-to player – that depending on the opponent, the defensive match-up and other variables, there are many Seminoles capable of being the team's most valuable player in any given game. It has been true for most of the season. Yet after FSU's 68-66 victory here on Sunday against Georgia Tech, it appears the Seminoles are closer to discovering their most consistent offensive threat. Chris Singleton, the sophomore forward, scored a career-high 23 points to lead FSU (15-4, 3-2 ACC)

On a Florida State team that features the defensive extravagance of Chris Singleton and the shot-blocking intimidation of Solomon Alabi , Ryan Reid qualifies as a grinding power forward who works in the shadows. Nicknamed the "Big Ticket," Reid has forged a career of distinction nonetheless. Friday night's first-round, NCAA tournament game against Gonzaga marked his fourth straight year in the postseason. Better yet, he becomes the first member of his family to graduate from college on May 1, reaching the milestone in four years with a degree in social sciences.

TALLAHASSEE — During the days when he was still a star at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes, Ryan Reid said recently he didn't have any illusions. There were no thoughts about averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds at Florida State like he did during his senior season at Boyd Anderson — no thoughts of being "the man." Yet here's what Solomon Alabi, the FSU center, said about Reid earlier this week: "People need to know that he is the man. It wasn't easy for him to be the only senior and to carry the team."

TALLAHASSEE — Chris Singleton had been talking about becoming more aggressive – about becoming the kind of versatile offensive player he expected to become when he arrived last season at Florida State after earning McDonald's All-American honors in high school – but mostly it had been just that. Talk. "But tonight," Singleton said after he scored a career-high 23 points on Sunday in the Seminoles' 68-66 victory against Georgia Tech, "I think I showed it." For much of the first 21/2 months of the season, FSU has been without a dominant offensive player – the kind capable of controlling a game and making key plays in tense moments.

TALLAHASSEE -- Chris Singleton had been talking about becoming more aggressive -- about becoming the kind of versatile offensive player he expected to become when he arrived last season at Florida State after earning McDonald's All-American honors in high school -- but mostly it had been just that. Talk. "But tonight," Singleton said after he scored a career-high 23 points on Sunday in the Seminoles' 68-66 victory against Georgia Tech, "I think I showed it." For much of the first 21/2 months of the season, FSU has been without a dominant offensive player -- the kind capable of controlling a game and making key plays in tense moments.

TALLAHASSEE -- Leonard Hamilton likes to say his Florida State team is without a true go-to player --that depending on the opponent, the defensive match-up and other variables, there are many Seminoles capable of being the team's most valuable player in any given game. It has been true for most of the season. Yet after FSU's 68-66 victory here on Sunday against Georgia Tech, it appears the Seminoles are closer to discovering their most consistent offensive threat. Chris Singleton, the sophomore forward, scored a career-high 23 points to lead FSU (15-4, 3-2 ACC)

TALLAHASSEE — Leonard Hamilton likes to say his Florida State team is without a true go-to player – that depending on the opponent, the defensive match-up and other variables, there are many Seminoles capable of being the team's most valuable player in any given game. It has been true for most of the season. Yet after FSU's 68-66 victory here on Sunday against Georgia Tech, it appears the Seminoles are closer to discovering their most consistent offensive threat. Chris Singleton, the sophomore forward, scored a career-high 23 points to lead FSU (15-4, 3-2 ACC)

TALLAHASSEE -- Southeastern Louisiana Coach Jim Yarbrough really thought that if he could hold Al Thornton to 10 points, maybe the same for point guard Toney Douglas, he'd be in decent shape. But his overmatched and undersized team was still drubbed Sunday afternoon by Florida State as the Seminoles (8-2) scored a season-high total in an 88-62 win. The 88 points came from everyone -- at least 10 apiece from Thornton, Douglas, Isaiah Swann, Jason Rich and reserve Casaan Breeden. Every scholarship player on the roster put up a few by halftime.

ATLANTA -- During his grueling off-season conditioning program -- most weeks he worked out three times per day -- Toney Douglas, the Florida State senior guard, often thought about how painfully close FSU has been to reaching the NCAA Tournament in recent seasons. "So close," Douglas said here on Sunday. "That's why I tell my teammates -- we can't take [any] possessions off. . . . A lot of times throughout the past four years I've been here, we didn't get to the tournament because [of]

TALLAHASSEE -- After pulling out an emotional victory at Georgia Tech just three days ago, Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton could hardly be blamed for feeling a little anxious heading into Tuesday night's game against lowly Tennessee-Martin. But after a nearly month-long stretch of close games and tight finishes -- including Sunday's overtime win in Atlanta -- the Seminoles quickly put their coach's worries at ease, rolling to a lopsided 95-68 victory in front of 5,231 fans at the Tucker Center.

ATLANTA -- More than 20 NBA scouts were on hand Sunday night to watch Florida State's game at Georgia Tech -- there to see the likes of FSU's Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton and the Yellow Jackets' Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors. Ryan Reid, the Florida State senior who coach Leonard Hamilton described as the type who does the Seminoles' "dirty work," outshined them all, though. Reid finished with a career-high 17 points to lead the Seminoles to an improbable 66-59 overtime victory against 22nd-ranked Georgia Tech at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.